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Scientists Create Garbage Eating Robot-Shark To Clear Aquatic Waste

A high-tech drone, often referred to as the “Wall-E of the water”, is doing its part at cleaning up our oceans. With climate change on a rapid rise and our oceans polluted by waste, there is no better time for the WasteShark to work its magic.

This garbage eating “shark” is an aquadrone that vacuums up all garbage from the water. It is capable of swimming for up to 16 hours on a single full charge and can consume as much as 1,100 pounds of waste before needing to be emptied and recharged. RanMarine, an environmental technology firm in the Netherlands that specializes in drones, developed this innovative device.

The WasteShark is currently deployed in the Dubai Marina, which is a man-made canal city, where the product is currently being tested. The name itself comes from the Whale Shark, which was named after is “wide-bodied design and vacuum-like mouth”. According to DailyMail, the WasteShark can pick up an array of waste from plastic, floating debris and “alien vegetation.”

In addition, the WasteShark can pick up trash that is nearly one foot deep below surface level, once gathered, it is then sent to a collection point where it is then emptied out. The gadget is steered using a remote control or through an iPad, where it’s movement are tracked through GPS signal, so users can always know where the WasteShark is, and check on its charge and waste space. The device is also fitted with a collision-avoidance system that allows it to spot nearby objects and adjusts its positioning to avoid colliding into them.

Via RanMarine

As if it’s waste eating feature wasn’t enough, the WasteShark is able to measure water quality with its customizable sensors. It looks for things from depth, salinity, pH balance, and temperature, all of which is then transmitted through the controls and visible to read on the iPad. As of now, the WasteShark is being used to clean up waste from rivers, ports, and marinas, with hopes to expand to large bodies of water in the future.

The WasteShark, and countless other drone-like devices are cleaning up the planet one day at a time, at the rate they're going, we can soon see our oceans cleaner than ever!